The Talmudical Academy of Baltimore or TA (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

: ישיבת חפץ חיים) is a K–12

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

founded in 1917. Its present campus, located at 4445

Old Court Road Old Court Road is a state- and county-maintained highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Including the adjacent road in Howard County known as Woodstock Road, the highway runs from Maryland Route 99 (MD 99) near Woodstock east to Joppa Road near ...

, includes a pre-school building, an elementary school building, a middle school building, a high school building, three gymnasiums, a dormitory, two computer labs, and two study halls which double as prayer sanctuaries.

History

Talmudical Academy of Baltimore (TA) was founded in 1917 as Baltimore Parochial Hebrew School by Rav Avraham Nachman Schwartz. The first enrolled student was Rabbi Dr. Zalman Naftali Skaist (born 1911), who was to become a noted pioneer in

American Jewish American Jews or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by religion, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. Today the Jewish community in the United States consists primarily of Ashkenazi Jews, who descend from diaspora ...

education. TA was located on Cottage Avenue until a fire caused by one of the custodians destroyed the building. The

then moved to its present location on Old Court. In 2018, the school completed a $22 million campus expansion which included an Early Childhood center and a new high school building, which included a gym, classrooms and

beis medrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

(study hall/prayer sanctuary). The

rosh yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

(dean) is Yosef Rottenberg"TA Celebrates Chanukas HaBayis/Hachnasas Sefer Torah in Grand Fashion"
(December 9, 2018) ''Baltimore Jewish Life''. Retrieved April 19, 2020. and the

mesivta ''Mesivta'' (also metivta; Aramaic: מתיבתא, "academy") is an Orthodox Jewish yeshiva secondary school for boys. The term is commonly used in the United States to describe a yeshiva that emphasizes Talmudic studies for boys in grades ...

mashgiach A mashgiach ( he, משגיח, "supervisor"; , ''mashgichim'') or mashgicha (pl. ''mashgichot'') is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including sl ...

is Rav Shraga Hershkowitz.

Curriculum

Secular

The Elementary and Middle School curricula include all the basic secular studies: English, Math, Social Studies and Science. The High School curriculum includes Algebra (1&2), Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Environmental Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, World History, American History, English, and Jewish History (1&2).

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

courses that TA offers, include Physics, American History, European History, and English Literature. Seniors may optionally take college courses for English 101 and Psychology 101 provided by Baltimore City Community Community College (BCCC)

Religious

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cente ...

study begins in 5th grade at an introductory level. Talmudic study in earnest begins in 8th grade with its division into Bekius and Iyyun. Tractates that are studied with the Bekius method include

Rosh Hashanah Rosh HaShanah ( he, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, , literally "head of the year") is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah (, , lit. "day of shouting/blasting") It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (, , " ...

Sotah Sotah ( he, סוֹטָה or he, שׂוֹטָה) is a tractate of the Talmud in Rabbinic Judaism. The tractate explains the ordeal of the bitter water, a trial by ordeal of a woman suspected of adultery, which is prescribed by the Book of Number ...

Ta'anit A ta'anit or ta'anis (Mishnaic Hebrew: תענית) is a Fasting, fast in Judaism in which one abstains from all food and drink, including water. Purposes A Jewish fast may have one or more purposes, including: * Atonement for sins: Fasting is n ...

, Megillah,

Chagigah Hagigah or Chagigah (Hebrew: חגיגה, lit. "Festival Offering") is one of the tractates comprising Moed, one of the six orders of the Mishnah, a collection of Jewish traditions included in the Talmud. It deals with the Three Pilgrimage Festiv ...

Succah A or succah (; he, סוכה ; plural, ' or ''sukkos'' or ''sukkoth'', often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated w ...

, Brachos and others. Shorter tractates are usually chosen as Bekius tractates. The mesivta has a five-year cycle of Biyun mesechtos to finish. The five year time period ensures that the same tractates are not studied by the same students. The bekius tractates are chosen by the rabbi of the class, and unless circumstances force otherwise, that rabbi will learn the same tractates every year.

Mishna The Mishnah or the Mishna (; he, מִשְׁנָה, "study by repetition", from the verb ''shanah'' , or "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah ...

is studied until 5th grade when the primary focus becomes Talmudic studies. The learning of

Tanach The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
''

halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

'' (Jewish law), however in most classrooms this is not a main focus of time and effort.

Beis medrash

Until 1998, a beis medrash-level

shiur Shiur (, , lit. ''amount'', pl. shiurim ) is a lecture on any Torah topic, such as Gemara, Mishnah, Halakha (Jewish law), Tanakh (Bible), etc. History The Hebrew term שיעור ("designated amount") came to refer to a portion of Jud ...

was given by Rabbi Yosef Rottenberg. When he became too ill to continue giving the shiur, the beis medrash was discontinued. At the end of 2004, Rabbi Yisrael Asia was brought in to lead the beis medrash, which he did for the 2004–05 and 2005–06 school years. During the 2005/06 year, Rabbi Avrohom Notis also gave shiur to the beis medrash. In 2006–07, the beis medrash was resurrected yet again by Rabbi Bentzion Mellman and Rabbi Dovid Hoffman. Mellman acted as rosh beis medrash and instructor of Iyyun (a slower, in-depth Talmudic analysis) and Hoffman as the "Sho'el u-Maishiv" (study-hall mentor) and instructor of B'kius (a faster, less in-depth method of Talmudic study). The inaugural class consisted of seven members; however three more students joined the program in the middle of the year. The program continued through the 2008–09 year, but has been discontinued.

Extra-curricular activities

TA used to have a varsity basketball team called the Fighting Davids in the '70s and '80s. In the '90s they became the Tigers. The team reached its zenith in the

Tamir Goodman Tamir Goodman (born January 18, 1982) is a former American-Israeli professional basketball player. He was dubbed by ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine as the "Jewish Michael Jordan, Jordan". After playing basketball for the Talmudical Academy of Ba ...

era, which was in the late '90s and early 2000s. The team name was then changed to the "Thunder". Torah Youth Association (TYA) is loosely connected with TA. The Association, headed by Gavi Cohn, serves as an outlet for teenage boys to play sports and hang out in an environment that is acceptable for

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

groups. The TYA sponsors a flag football league based in a public park near TA, and tennis and pizza nights on Motzei Shabbos , as well as an annual

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

party. TYA also hosted shabbatons at the Pearlstone Center in

Western Maryland upright=1.2, An enlargeable map of Maryland's 23 counties and one independent city Western Maryland, also known as the Maryland Panhandle, is the portion of the U.S. state of Maryland that typically consists of Washington, Allegany, and Garret ...

, as well as Camp Shoresh. A Mishmar program for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students takes place on most Thursdays, in which additional hours of Talmudic study occur. After the learning the 6th and 7th graders have a raffle and pizza is served. The 8th graders begin and end much later than the other students and have a basketball league afterwards followed by

cholent Cholent and other Sabbath stews ( yi, טשאָלנט, tsholnt ''or'' tshulnt) are traditional Jewish stews. It is usually simmered overnight for 10–12 hours or more, and eaten for lunch on Shabbat (the Sabbath). Shabbat stews were developed ...

. TA sponsors many informal sports and other leisurely activities, such as the (now defunct) chess club, debate club, and the 'tag club' of the mid-1990s. TA also sponsors scholarly and religious programs for students and Jewish residents in the community, such as the small

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

they ran (which recently closed). There was a short-lived varsity baseball team, led by Paul Blitz, a

U.S. Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed Forces. Since July 2020 ...

soldier. In the late 1970s,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

player Mike Collier briefly served as gym teacher.

Notable visitors

TA has hosted several famous

roshei yeshiva Rosh yeshiva ( he, ראש ישיבה, pl. he, ראשי ישיבה, '; Anglicized pl. ''rosh yeshivas'') is the title given to the dean of a yeshiva, a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primar ...

(deans) and other scholars of repute. The list includes Rav

Aharon Leib Shteinman Aharon Yehuda Leib Shteinman ( he, אהרן יהודה לייב שטינמן), also Shtainman or Steinman (November 3, 1914 – December 12, 2017), was a Haredi rabbi in Bnei Brak, Israel. Following the death of Yosef Shalom Elyashiv in 201 ...

, Rabbi Mendel Blachman (Ra"m at

Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh ( he, ישיבת כרם ביבנה, lit. ''Vineyard in Yavne Yeshiva'') is a youth village and major yeshiva in southern Israel. Located near the city of Ashdod and adjacent to Kvutzat Yavne, it falls under the jurisdictio ...

), Rav Aharon Feldman, rosh yeshiva of

Ner Yisroel Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville, Maryland, Pikesville (Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County), Maryland. I ...

, Rabbi Yechezkel Yaakovson, rosh yeshiva of

Yeshivat Sha'alvim Yeshivat Sha'alvim is a hesder yeshiva, a kollel and a yeshiva high school for boys, located in Kibbutz Sha'alvim . History Yeshivat Sha'alvim was founded in 1961 by Meir Schlesinger, the rabbi of Kibbutz Sha'alvim. The yeshiva, like the kibbu ...

, Rav

Shmuel Kamenetsky Shmuel Kamenetsky (born November 1924) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the co-founder and rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah (Council of Torah Sages). Biography Ra ...

(

Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia The Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia ( he, פילאדעלפיע ישיבה) is a Haredi Litvish yeshiva in the Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its heads of school are Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rabbi Shimon Yehudah Svei a ...

), Rav Aharon Lopiansky (Yeshiva of Silver Spring), Rabbi Daniel Mechanic ( Aish-Discovery), Rav

Reuven Feinstein Sholom Reuven Feinstein ( he, שלום ראובן פיינשטיין) (born August 1937) is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Staten Island, New York. He is the youngest son of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the leading posek ...

, Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, Rabbi Yehuda Peretz, Yerachmiel Millstein, Rabbi Noach Orlowek (''mashgiach ruchani'' Yeshivas

Torah Ore , image = Torah Ore yeshiva.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = , address = 3 Sorotzkin Street , region = Kiryat Mattersdorf , city ...

), Rav

Aaron Schechter Aaron Moshe Schechter (also Aharon Moshe Schechter) is an American Haredi rabbi. He is the rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin and its post-graduate Talmudical division, Kollel Gur Aryeh. He also serves on the presidium of Agudat ...

, and Rabbi Asher Zelig Rubinstein (rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Toras Simcha).

Notable alumni

Aharon Feldman Rabbi Aharon Feldman (born 1932) is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi and rosh yeshiva (dean) of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel (Ner Israel Rabbinical College) in Baltimore, Maryland. He has held this position since 2001. He is also a member of the Moetzes Gedolei H ...

, rosh yeshiva

Ner Israel Rabbinical College Ner Israel Rabbinical College (ישיבת נר ישראל), also known as NIRC and Ner Yisroel, is a Haredi yeshiva (Jewish educational institution) in Pikesville (Baltimore County), Maryland. It was founded in 1933 by Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Rud ...

Mordechai Gifter Mordechai Gifter (October 15, 1915 - January 18, 2001) was an American Haredi rabbi. He was the rosh yeshiva (dean) of the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland, and among the foremost religious leaders of Orthodox Jewry in the late 20th century. Gifter st ...

, rosh yeshiva

Telshe Yeshiva Telshe Yeshiva (also spelled ''Telz'') is a yeshiva in Wickliffe, Ohio, formerly located in Telšiai, Lithuania. During World War II the yeshiva began relocating to Wickliffe, Ohio, in the United States and is now known as the Rabbinical College ...

, basketball player *

Avigdor Miller Avigdor HaKohen Miller (August 28, 1908 – April 20, 2001) was an American Haredi rabbi, author, and lecturer most prominently known for instigating and invigorating extreme right-wing politics in American Orthodox Jewry. He served simultan ...

, rabbi and author *

Yisroel Neuman Yisroel Tzvi Neuman (born April 1947 in Baltimore, to his parents Jaye and Sarah (nee Silverman)) is an Orthodox rabbi and one of the four roshei yeshiva (deans) of Beth Medrash Govoha (the Lakewood Yeshiva) in Lakewood, New Jersey. He shares this ...

, rosh yeshiva at

Beth Medrash Govoha Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jewish Misnagdim, Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lake ...

* Zelig Pliskin, rabbi and author

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Talmudical Academy Of Baltimore 1917 establishments in Maryland Educational institutions established in 1917 Haredi Judaism in the United States Jewish day schools in Maryland Jews and Judaism in Pikesville, Maryland Lithuanian-Jewish culture in Maryland Orthodox Judaism in Maryland Private schools in Baltimore County, Maryland Private K-12 schools in Maryland